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The Peoples’ Democratic Party’s (HDP’s) appeal to investigate the incidents involving two Kurdish villagers (Servet Turgut and the late Osman Şiban) who were reportedly thrown from a helicopter by soldiers in Turkey was rejected as a result of votes cast by the Justice and Development Party (AKP) and the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP).
Journalists were prevented from publishing this issue and four journalists were detained for reporting it. The Turkish Parliamentary Human Rights Investigation Commission – which had been approached by the HDP with the request to investigate these incidents – has not launched any investigation so far.
HDP Van Deputy Murat Sarısaç submitted a statement and request for an investigation to the General Assembly of the Parliament (based upon reports that Turgut and Şiban had both been tortured and thrown from a military helicopter in the Çatak district of Van) but this was rejected in parliament by AKP-MHP votes.
The investigation statement and request notes that: ”Servet Turgut and Osman Şiban were thrown from a helicopter and subjected to torture, as confirmed by the statements of lawyers and eyewitnesses along with hospital reports. Allegations of cases of torture and ill-treatment by the security forces has increased in Turkey and the notion of a ‘regime of impunity’ deepens social concerns. For this reason, to end the policy of impunity against torture, we present and propose the necessity of establishing a Parliamentary Survey to investigate the case in which two people were thrown from a helicopter”.
As of 30 September, Osman Şiban, whose treatment continues in Mersin, still suffers from trauma and memory loss as a result of the severe torture he was subjected to. Servet Turgut lost his life, after twenty days of treatment in an intensive care unit.
